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One would think that consumers have become hip to most frauds thanks to the constant warnings by various consumer groups and federal agencies.

And yet, the victimization continues.

For example, the IRS over the last several months has issued warnings urging people to ignore bogus e-mails that, at first glance, appear to have been sent from the agency.

The most recent advisory cautioned people about a scam e-mail asking for charitable contributions to victims of the Southern California wildfires; the scam e-mail contains a link that sends the recipients to a Web site that looks similar to the IRS site. The scam is set up to steal people's personal and financial information.

Another fraudulent e-mail told taxpayers that they were eligible to receive a tax refund.

You're probably saying to yourself: Who, in their right mind, would respond to fake e-mails, lottery scams or bogus business ventures?

Well, millions of people do.

The Federal Trade Commission reported that in 2005, 30.2 million adults - 13.5 percent of the adult population in the U.S. - were victims of fraud.

It shouldn't be surprising (wasn't to me) that people in debt are more likely to believe a lying, low-down crook. Desperate debt-ridden consumers are most often snared by three types of scams: advance-fee loans, credit repair and debt consolidation.

But overall, the FTC survey found that more people - an estimated 4.8 million consumers - were "victims" of fraudulent weight-loss products than of any other fraudulent scheme covered in the survey.

Maybe in this case, victim isn't the right word. Gullible might better describe the people who pay for weight-loss products that include nonprescription drugs, dietary supplements, skin patches, creams, wraps and the like.

The FTC reported that fraudulent foreign lottery offers and buyers-club memberships tied for second place, with an estimated 3.2 million victims for these two scams.

If you've got an e-mail address, you've probably gotten a lottery scam e-mail. I get them almost daily. This scam mostly works by getting people to send money (a fee, they are told, or to pay taxes) in order to collect their winnings. In the case of buyers clubs, unsuspecting people are billed for a membership for which they never signed up.

Also high on the FTC's fraud list were work-at-home schemes, victimizing an estimated 2.4 million individuals.

It's useful to review these annual lists of top frauds. They are reminders that we are all vulnerable.

And, as always, the list comes with suggestions on how to best protect yourself.

If you regularly surf the Internet, checking out things that have no real impact on your life, at least make a stop at www.ftc.gov and read the agency's consumer releases.

What might work is calling the biggest cynic you know.

Trust the skeptic's mistrust. Make it a personal rule before responding to an unsolicited e-mail or business opportunity to talk it over with a cynic. That person probably will pepper you with questions you can't answer. Use this to your advantage.

Finally, don't be so arrogant to think you are immune to fraud. Fraudsters work full-time trying to find ways to swindle you. Consumers don't get a lot of practice fighting back.

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